When D.J. Reed looks at the New York Jets’ record after their first eight games, he believes there’s no reason they should be at 2-6. Not even close.
“It’s painful because we’re losing by four points, a field goal, two points, one point,” Reed said Monday. “It’s like we’re just coming up right short. I feel like we’re finding ways to lose because we have a talented roster.”
On paper, that’s true. But a season that began with hopes of a long playoff run with Aaron Rodgers at the helm has taken a turn for the worse.
The Jets hit a low point after losing 25-22 to the New England Patriots on Sunday, a game where they led until the final minute.
“It just seems like in a crucial moment,” tight end Tyler Conklin said, “we seem to make mistakes that you can’t make when you want to win football games in this league.”
New York’s defense, which was seen as a strong point at the start of the season, failed to secure what Reed called “should’ve been a win.”
Instead, it became another disappointment in what is now a five-game losing streak—four of those losses by a single score—leaving the Jets and their fans questioning if it can get any worse.
“I know this season is probably crazy watching this because I know, like, the talent of this team, it doesn’t make sense,” Reed said. “So I know that’s how the fans feel, most certainly.
“I know that they’re probably flabbergasted.”
Owner Woody Johnson sensed things weren’t going well when he surprisingly fired Robert Saleh as coach on Oct. 8 and replaced him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the interim. The Jets are 0-3 since that change.
Ulbrich made changes to the offensive play callers, moving from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing. New York also traded for Davante Adams and finally got edge rusher Haason Reddick on the field after his long holdout.
And somehow things have gotten worse.
With the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 5 approaching quickly, general manager Joe Douglas now faces a question that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago: Should the Jets consider trading away players and basically give up on the season?
“You know, my mindset and my perspective on life is to finish whatever I started,” Reed said. “Right now we’re 2-6, which is horrible. It’s horrible, but my mindset is we could still win out. That’s my mindset, which, you know, might sound crazy to a lot of people, but that’s how I approach it.”
